New Zealand-designed artificial intelligence framework MedicMind which enables the development and design of AI without coding has been used to develop an advance set of algorithms to detect a range of common eye diseases. Findings are published on Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. The Dunedin-based research was part of an initiative to tackle growing ageing population and degenerative eye diseases, oDocs Eye Care director Dr Hong Sheng Chiong says. A total of 4435 images were used for developing the artificial intelligence and its underlying algorithm. The average accuracy was 80 percent, with sensitivity of 75 percent and specificity of 89 percent.…

Internationally respected Physics Professor Phil Butler has been announced as the 2018 recipient of the University of Canterbury (UC) Innovation Medal, the highest award the University can bestow to an outstanding innovator.

A new study finds that bacteria develop antibiotic resistance up to 100,000 times faster when exposed to the world’s most widely used herbicides, Roundup (glyphosate) and Kamba (dicamba) and antibiotics compared to without the herbicide.

Invented in Christchurch, the MARS spectral x-ray scanner will revolutionise medical imaging globally, and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, because it provides far greater detail of the body’s chemical components.

Asthma management updateThe Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ has launched an update to the 'My Asthma' app to help keep asthma management simple for the many kiwi families that have members with this condition.

Mar 19, 2018 - A New Zealand company has created a world-first artificial intelligence (AI) medical platform for medical researchers and clinicians to create AI to auto-diagnose a large range of diseases based on a single photograph.

Biomedical Services NZ Ltd shared approach offers model also to wider public administrative IT projects Jan 16, 2018 - Biomedical Services New Zealand is an enduring example of a public sector enterprise offshoot that shares premium resources and brings scale to the application of skills that are always in short supply. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Wairarapa District Health Board which is responsible for the Masterton Hospital.

Dec 13, 2017 - The national surgical bus, possibly the only one of its type in the world, is looking for a significant change next year to keep up with demands and with high technology. Mobile Health chief executive Mark Eager says they are assessing cutting-edge new technologies with portable and modular healthcare facilities to help district health boards cope when they are under pressure and to assist in smaller towns and rural areas. “We are making substantial bright new changes next year but also continuing with our mobile surgical bus all over New Zealand,” Eager says. “We will be…

Nov 30, 2017 - (BusinessDesk) - BioNona, which markets skin treatment creams developed by biochemist and chief executive Iona Weir, says it has gained US Food and Drug Administration approval for its Atopis eczema cream treatment, giving it access to a market worth as much as US$6 billion. It marks the first such FDA approval for a New Zealand-developed over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical skincare cream and is a culmination of more than 30 years of research and pharmaceutical development by Auckland scientist Weir, whose other projects have included the kiwifruit-based Phloe laxative product produced by Vital Foods Processors, where Weir was…

Nov 28, 2017 - Alliance Group is investing almost $800,000 in a new blood processing room at its Mataura plant in Southland to help meet the growing demand from the pharmaceutical industry. The new facility at the plant will collect and process adult bovine blood into serum for blood products, which are used in the development of vaccines, cancer treatments, and drugs to treat neurodegenerative, haematological and endocrine disorders. Demand from the pharmaceutical industry for New Zealand blood products has increased significantly due to the country’s disease-free status and world-leading agricultural systems. David Surveyor, chief executive of Alliance Group, said…

Nov 20 2017 -- A major technological breakthrough by a Kiwi company makes it simple for New Zealanders to be tested for vitamin C blood levels. Newly released data from a University of Otago study shows more than two thirds of Kiwis over 50 are low in vitamin C, more than one in 10 severely so. The Otago researchers say it is time blood is routinely checked for vitamin C levels, as it is now for cholesterol and iron. Vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy and other illnesses. To date, existing technology using a blood sample extracted in a…

Dunedin will get a new $1 billion plus hospital, in what will be the largest build of its type in New Zealand’s history, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says. Dr Coleman made the announcement with Prime Minister Bill English at Dunedin Hospital today. “The Government is committed to ensuring the people of Dunedin and the wider Southern community receive quality hospital care,” Dr Coleman says. “We have been assessing the options around refurbishing the existing site and building a new hospital. The decision has been made to rebuild. “This would maximise the opportunity of having a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility, while also…

The health sector needs more male nurses, but has struggled to attract men into what has traditionally been a female domain. While up to 50% of those enrolling to become doctors are now reportedly women, only 10% or less of nursing students are male. However, a new dual, fast track graduate programme offered by Ara and University of Canterbury (UC) seems to be attracting more male students. So what is it about this qualification that works for men? Ara nursing lecturer and researcher Dr Isabel Jamieson and her team are conducting a suite of research projects connected to the new…

Three quarters of New Zealanders believe more funding for health and medical research should be a government priority and that the government should invest more funding in health research, according to a survey just released. The poll of more than 500 Kiwis was conducted by Roy Morgan Research for a national health umbrella organisation, New Zealanders for Health Research (NZHR). Improving hospitals and the healthcare system was the most important issue for the government to focus on, the survey found. NZHR chief executive Chris Higgins says Kiwis surveyed placed the highest priority on research to find ways to prevent illness…

Christchurch urologist Stu Gowland, who developed the country’s first mobile surgical bus, is stepping down as Mobile Health’s managing director but will be continuing as medical director. Mark Eager, has been appointed as chief executive of Mobile Health. Mark has been with the surgical bus organisation for 10 years. Gowland, a real Kiwi medical pioneer, was a founding member of the New Zealand Urology Associates. He campaigned with others for improved health on various issues at Christchurch hospital in the 1990s and was the driving force to set up New Zealand’s first mobile surgical unit 15 years ago, board chair…

Reckitt Benckiser (New Zealand) Limited (RBNZ) has been fined $1.08 million today in the Auckland District Court for 10 charges relating to its Nurofen specific pain range products. The products include Nurofen Migraine Pain, Nurofen Tension Headache, Nurofen Period Pain and Nurofen Back Pain. RBNZ admitted that between 2011 and 2015 its packaging of the products and representations on the nurofen.co.nz website were liable to mislead consumers about the nature, characteristics and suitability of the products. The product packaging stated that the products “targeted” a particular type of pain, when this was not the case. Each product contained exactly the…

Australian respiratory technology company Rhinomed has entered into a distribution and supply agreement with The Linde Group and its Australian subsidiary BOC Limited. BOC will manage logistics and distribute Rhinomed’s breathing technologies, Mute and Turbine, in the Australian and New Zealand markets. Rhinomed will ship product directly from its Hong Kong warehouse to BOC’s logistics centre in Sydney. Under the arrangement, BOC will fulfill and supply all of Rhinomed’s existing contracts within Australia—covering the existing 700 pharmacies currently stocking the product. BOC brings an extensive and experienced sales force to support the growing uptake of Rhinomed’s products in the region.…